A blog for the Alexandria, Virginia, Chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society.

Monday, May 21, 2012

Looking Back on the May 15th Chapter Meeting

The stage in Durant was packed with guys brushing up on contest package
stage presence and getting in some drills on the moves for “Jersey Boys.”

Assistant director Will Cox did a terrific warm up session.

Before chorus singing, music vp Dan O’Brien reminded everyone
about the large number of our fellow chapter members singing in quartets at
Southern Division in Roanoke on Fri. nite May 25th, starting at 6
pm.We got to hear the first of three
for the nite who came to sing for us – GOOD GUYS with Jim Lake, Frank
Fedarko, Don Dillingham and Joel Golden.

Director Joe Cerutti started the singing time with a woodshedding
exercise in prep for the June 19th show at Constitution Hall.We will provide background music singing two
part harmony while a U.S. Senator reads a poem.

Before we working on the contest package, associate director Tony
Colosimo presented another barbershop craft axiom.This week’s topic was a repeat with more
lessons – Champions are Made at the End of Phrases.

Joe introduced our coach, Geri Geis, who went right to work on the
ballad, following many of the principles Tony taught. We worked hard til about
8 pm with a Geri helping us set the stage better in order to help the
audience get into the music with us. Just in case, she had the fourth and fifth
rows come down front and be first and second rows. That allowed she and the sp
team to make sure everyone was together. The package felt great!

Mark
Klostermeyer filled in for ops vp Scott Kahler again this
week in running the evening’s schedule and meeting.

Secretary Chris Buechler presented new member materials to Rich
Hewitt and Dave DesPortes. Chris also presented membership
renewals to Steve Murane for 10 years; Michael Gilmore for 20
years; and Bruce Lauther for 26 years.

Mark gave the
chorus a short 10 minutes for break so we could get back to singing and the
rest of the chapter meeting.Bob
Blair asked for some new truck driver volunteers to help get the risers to
Roanoke. Brad Jones stressed the importance of all those going to China
to get in their materials on time, or plan to drive them to MD to give them to
him.

Nick
Leiserson reminded us that the copy deadline for show program ads is next
week.And of course, WE ALL NEED TO SELL
TICKETS!Michael Gilmore and
Ian Poulin helped Nick issue tickets on consignment.This is a great way to help sell
tickets.When you ask folks to go, you
can sell’em a ticket on the spot.

Assistant director Terry Reynolds pledges to get out an email with
complete details for those competing in the chorus contest on Saturday in
Roanoke, May 26th. Likely the chorus call will be for 8 am, as we
sing first up when the contest starts at 10. All will be expected to be there
for that call with uniform. We will dress later in the morning.

Then back to chorus work on “I’m the Music Man” with Craig Kujawa
teaching more stage moves for this new opener.It is fun to sing. And then we used the rest of the evening to drill
thru “Jersey Boys” including displaying how much progress we had made on
learning the moves (much of this from the 6 pm review).

Evening wrapped up with usual work and rush to get things put away so
there was more time for tag singing and for helping applicants prepare for audition,
and there was another audition.

Great to see Pete Frank in the house (YeEd heard Pete
is new chorus director in Erie, PA, and they just won the spring chorus contest
and were named most improved chorus!)Also good to see DC Chapter’s assistant director Sheryl Berlin
early in the evening.

Until
next time – editorjack!

(This
message is prepared for your review if you were there, for your information if
you had to miss, and as a historical record of the great things going on each
week at an Alexandria Harmonizer Chapter meeting. —YeEd.)